


Forever Connected: Act 1

by NobodyOfLight



Series: Forever Connected AU [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friends to Enemies, Gadget is a ray of sunshine, I love these dorks, Infinite is a good boi but can't express himself well, M/M, Mild Gore, Most of the time is fluffy, Soul Bonding but with lucky charms involved, The beginning is a bit angsty but it lightens up along the way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26208910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NobodyOfLight/pseuds/NobodyOfLight
Summary: Gadget leaves the Resistance after the war ended.However, something from his past comes back to haunt him after saving Infinite.Long time memories, a promise, and a twisting fate awaits them.
Relationships: Avatar | Custom Hero (Sonic Forces) & Infinite (Sonic the Hedgehog), Avatar | Custom Hero (Sonic Forces)/Infinite (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Series: Forever Connected AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903396
Comments: 19
Kudos: 29





	1. New Beginning, New Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!
> 
> Like I said in my first fic, I was planning to do a whole story with the boys, and here we are!
> 
> Before you start reading, there are somethings you must know about this story/AU:
> 
> Infinite's real name in this AU is Orion
> 
> They are childhood friends from before the war started, but Orion had to move because of some reasons
> 
> They both gave each other a gift when young so they wouldn't forget about themselves.
> 
> They both call each other by nicknames: Ori and Gadgey, respectively
> 
> Gadget got a scar on his muzzle at the beginning of the war.
> 
> There are other things to be said, but I will show it as the story goes on, and without further ado, I hope you like it!

Everything was a pitch black, nothing could be seen nor could be heard.

But in an instant, many sounds echoed in the background, very unpleasant sounds for anyone, if you were to ask. Shots from weapons, explosions, screams and constant fighting.

Suddenly again, the vision got clearer, and the now visible red wolf was in the middle of a battlefield in an occurring war, alongside two blue hedgehogs in front of a defeated ebony jackal wearing a mask.

However, the canine was still processing everything, apparently dazed like he was sleeping while standing still, and then realized where he was, he could swear he had been there before. 

He could hear the taller blue blur saying something about friendship, bonds and soul, something the masked one appeared to lack, and those words were already familiar to the wolf, for some reason.

Then, the charcoal canine was enveloped by a crimson light and began to float. He was in evident confusion and immediate despair right after noticing what was happening, the red hound had already seen that scene too.

_"No! Wait! I can still fight!"_

Those were the last words spoken by the mysterious masked figure in the battlefield, just before he fades away. Then, a big robot emerges from the ground, shaking it in the process, and was about to eliminate all the soldiers with a powerful shot of a laser–

* * *

The crimson wolf jumped up in cold sweat, breathing very quickly, almost losing the air in his lungs, until he stabilizes the entrance and exit of it after a few seconds, calming himself down.

"It was just a nightmare..." He said, in a scared tone, sighing in relief and laying down on the bed he was sleeping on.

The wolf scanned through the surrounding room. Aside from his bed, there was a nightstand on the right side of it, his glasses and necklace standing there, a small closet, a mirror hanged on the wall, his equipment stored in a bag in the other side of the room and his boots and gloves that were in a chair near a table.

He got up and went to the nightstand to pick his glasses and put them on, his sight getting clear as a crystal. 

The wolf also picked up his necklace, but gave a long stare to it before putting on his neck. It was a normal artifact that it used a simple rope, and it had a gold circled pendant with two jewels inside of it, a sapphire and a topaz that were mixed together and divided itself in a spiral like shape.

That necklet holds a great meaning to him, one that he never seems to shake off his head, even when a nonstop battle was going on. Following the long stare, he whispered like there was someone hearing him somewhere.

"I will find you...I'm sure of it."

Afterwards, he wore the jewelry and got off his bed to put his gear on. It was going to be a long day, it was the day the wolf would leave the Resistance base to go back to his home, and the first time since the war took place.

He went to the mirror to get a look on his reflection before going. A red wolf with black thick glasses, orange eyes, a wide scar on his muzzle, green boots and gloves and a necklace around his neck , that was Gadget. Now it was time to go.

He picked his bag and left his sleeping quarters, heading to the command room where the high-ranking members of the Resistance where having a meeting, and what a perfect time to get everyone together to say goodbye.

"Hey, what's up, Rookie?" He heard Knuckles speak while entering the room.

"Hello, Gadget!" Now Amy was talking, with a big smile on her face as always. The others greeted him as well.

"Hi, guys!" Gadget said in a happy but sort of sad tone, it was understandable, farewells aren't so joyful sometimes.

The echidna noticed the bag on the wolf's back, and realized what he came there for.

"Oh, you're leaving up already? I guess time flies sometimes." He chuckled, trying to brush off the feeling that was starting to fill the room.

"Yeah, I need to go home now, my family must be missing me a lot." The red wolf said as he adjusted the bag on his back.

"Aw, do you really have to go?" said Tails with a sad expression on his face.

"There's no war to fight for anymore, I guess it's just reasonable he wants to leave, but hey, Gadget can always visit us whenever he needs it." Silver spoke, trying to reassure the two tailed fox.

"Silver's right, don't worry! Also, I still need to do some reports to the Resistance, so I'm not leaving totally." The crimson canine smiled while saying that.

"Well, whatever may be the case, take care on your trip." Espio stated while joining the conversation.

"Yeah, all the streets nearby are in ruins, those buildings can fall apart at any moment!" The pink hedgehog exclaimed with a worried face.

"Oh please, Rookie's got this, it's not a big deal." Knuckles said, with a confident tone, and then he added.

"Actually, Gadget is not even a rookie anymore, he already proved himself in the battlefield, whatever challenges that may appear, he will get through it."

Gadget's eyes were glowing with such words coming from his superior. It was true, he went through a lot during the war, he would be okay.

"Thanks a lot, everyone. And I will take care, promise." He then smiled and gave a thumbs up, before saying the last goodbye to everyone of them, then leaving the Resistance base.

Even though it wouldn't be the last time he would see them, Gadget couldn't help but be a little sad about it, he became friends with everyone so quickly after all. But he knew he would end up bumping into them again.

While walking through the streets of what once was Sunset Heights, he stopped midway to see the orange tinted sky that was formed right beside him.

He then laid his arms on the somehow still parapet that was on that side of the road, to watch the beautiful sunset. The wind softly brushed on his red fur, and his eyes glistened by the light of the sun that was slowly going down.

The wolf hasn't seen a view like that in what looked like ages. And it was the first time in a while the sky wasn't polluted by smoke coming from fires or anything of sorts.

Gadget slowly closed his eyes and grabbed his necklace as he felt the breeze touch him, enjoying that small moment of calm, it's been quite a while since he got to stop and enjoy peace. But he was immediately dragged out of his thoughts when he heard steps and a voice speaking as his ear twitched.

"What's up, Gadget!" The one to say that was no other than Sonic The Hedgehog, the hero himself.

"Oh! Hi, Sonic!" The crimson canine instantly got happy at the presence of the blue blur.

"How you doin', buddy?" Sonic asked, being cheerful like he always is.

"I'm fine, actually, thanks for asking!" The other responded, being as cheerful as him.

"So, what are you doing here on your own?" He questioned.

"Oh, um, I was just seeing the sunset before leaving, I haven't seen such a beautiful landscape in some time." Gadget looked at the horizon once again, and the blue hedgehog followed suit looking at it as well.

"It sure is good looking today, not gonna lie." He agreed on the wolf's statement, and continued to speak.

"But anyway..." He turned his head to the canine.

"You're taking off too, right? I was thinking the same thing. You gotta keep moving forward, no matter what, yeah?" Gadget turned to him and simply nodded, then he began to talk.

"Yeah, it's just like that."

"Do you have any idea of what are you going to do now? Aside from going back home, I'm assuming." Sonic said, the red wolf adjusted his bag while nodding once again.

"Yes. I was looking for someone, right before the war started, a friend from long ago. Right now it's the perfect time to look for his whereabouts, I promised we would meet again." He said with a determined look in his eyes as he gazed into the distance one more time.

"I see. Well, I hope you find your friend! I'm sure he'll be happy to see you again." The cobalt hedgehog said while giving a thumbs up to Gadget and smiling.

"Right. Thanks, Sonic, see you soon." The crimson canine then held out his clenched hand, pointing to him, and the blue blur immediately realized what he meant by that, and gave him a fist bump.

"See you later, buddy!" Sonic then darted to wherever he wanted to, leaving a blow of wind behind and a blue bright line where he passed.

Gadget's fur slightly bristled beacuse of the sudden gust, but he managed to straighten it again, and left a slight chuckle.

The wolf took one more last look at the sunset, before starting to run. When he got fast enough, he jumped and pointed out his grappling hook in his wrist to the nearest building and started to swing by it, repeating this process to travel quickly through the ruins of the city.

* * *

After going to building by building for some time, the red canine landed in a very open space, which was most likely some kind of square before everything was destroyed by the Doctor's robots and a certain masked villain.

Gadget then started to walk, since he was heading to the road that would lead to the next city, thus, leading to his hometown. He would not be able to use his grappling hook around there, so going there in the conventional way was his only choice.

However, something got his attention while passing through that square, he heard noises, they echoed from an alley next to him, something like a cough or a painful grunt was coming from there.

The wolf quickly shifted gears and then his mind clicked, there was someone who could be hurt there! In an instant, he darted to that alley, but suddenly stopped before making the turn in the alleyway, he looked at the ground, and saw an awfully visible trail of blood.

At that moment, his heart beat fast out of fear, remembering some terrible memories from the beginning of the war, but was dragged away from his mind drifting as he heard more grunting coming from the end of the path.

He shook his head as he entered that back alley, there was no time for that, someone needed help, and he would save them no matter what, even if it was–

" **Infinite?!?** " 

He exclaimed, his expression going to surprise, confusion and despair in a matter of seconds.

The masked jackal was very injured, but that can't even describe how bad that wound was. His chest had a Phantom Ruby shaped wound that was bleeding a lot, if it had to take a guess, maybe he had the stone ripped away by force, and he was left here to die. 

But Gadget didn't have time to think about it at that moment, he just desperately approached the ebony canine that was lying in a wall, apparently struggling to survive, coughing and grunting in intense pain.

Infinite then realized the wolf was in front of him, and flinched when he tried to get closer.

"You... **YOU!** GET AWAY FROM ME!" He shouted, before grunting once more and gripping his chest, as the stinging pain never ceased to stop.

"What?! I came here to help you! Calm down!" The red hound quickly responded, trying to steady the startled jackal.

"I WON'T– LET ME DIE HERE! I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY, STUPID WOLF!" He coughed badly after screaming again.

"Don't be so dramatic now! Let me stop your wound from bleeding!" Gadget shouted, clearly in panic for not knowing how to deal with this situation

"I already...ugh...told you! I don't need...argh...your–" Infinite lowered his head as he passed out, probably out of blood loss. The crimson canine was relieved by that, but then startled himself since the jackal wouldn't handle for too long.

Fortunately, the wolf had a first aid kit in his bag, he quickly opened it and grabbed the kit, he did a long process of cleaning the wound with alcohol while wincing at it and then bandaging it.

After the treatment, Gadget calmed himself down, he stopped the wound from spilling more blood, that was already enough for now. He had blood bags in his first aid kit, but he would have to wait until they are in a safe and closed place to use it.

But where would he find a place like that? Everything around him where ruins of a city, unless...

The red wolf's mind clicked as he remembered about a place: his old apartment he had in Sunset Heights, way before the war started. If it was still in one piece, at least he would have a place to shelter him and his patient.

He put his bag on his back and picked the bandaged jackal by his torso, he was now resting on the wolf's arms.

Gadget looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"I'm going to save you, _no matter what_."

The canine began to walk again through the debris of the destroyed city as he tried to remember the path to his old place. After some turns and dead ends, he found the complex he used to live, and by some kind of blessing, it wasn't completely obliterated, so he could use it as a place to rest for the day.

Following a long climb of stairs, the wolf finally reached his apartment, which its door was unlocked, he remembered leaving his house out of panic when the furious battle waged, good thing he left it like that. 

He opened the door and a sudden nostalgic feeling hit him, it was his first place to live after leaving his parent's house for college, it was really unfortunate to leave that apartment, even if it was small, it had all that he needed. 

Gadget placed Infinite on the couch and put his bag on the ground as he went to the bathroom to wash himself from all the blood that was on his hands and fur.

He came back right after to see the jackal again, he picked an sample of his blood and put it in a device, it was a scanner to see if his type could use any of the blood bags he had on his first aid kit. 

Fortunately his type was AB+, so he could receive any blood type. The red hound tied one of Infinite's arms to an IV that was attached to the blood bag. Now finally, he just had to wait the blood to be replaced.

Gadget put a chair near the couch, and sat on it, observing the unconscious jackal resting on it. He couldn't help but feel bad for the masked villain, no one should pass for such pain and be left to die right after, no matter what they have done.

Not many things passed through his head as he was slowly drifting asleep, since he went by a day that was stressful enough. He yawned, then grabbed his necklace and took a long stare at it, before falling into slumber on the chair.

Right now, he had a time to rest, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was longer than I had anticipated, I hope it isn't too boring.
> 
> Also, I want to say that I will write a prologue for this AU that will be posted along the Act 1, so you can understand some things from now on.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked the story so far, feel free to leave a feedback!


	2. The Feeling of Being Weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Long time no see!
> 
> I would like to mention that this chapter is basically Infinite/Orion's perspective of chapter 1, but there's also a bit of continuity.
> 
> Also, this chapter has Trigger Warning for: Suicide Attempt (kinda?)  
> So if you're sensitive about that, I recommend to take caution while reading it or just skip to "...Or so he thought".
> 
> Apart from that, I hope you guys enjoy it!

"Failure...everything was an _absolute_ failure!" 

Doctor Eggman screamed while slamming on his big computer.

After being defeated by Sonic and the Resistance members, he fled with Infinite to a remote base in Mystic Jungle, and now he's grumbling while typing in his terminal.

"The world was in the palm of my hand, I could've ruled over it for good, but _you_ had to ruin all of it, didn't you?!" He said as he turned to glare at a mildly injured jackal in front of him.

"All I ever did was–ugh...what you told me to! Don't blame this on me!" The ebony canine grunted as he said that, gripping on his aching torso, he wasn't on the best of conditions.

The last battle with Sonic did a number on him, and right after being used as a generator by the Doctor on his Death Egg Robot because of his powers left him very worn out.

"Yes, you did, until you got defeated by that blue hedgehog and his foolish friends and I had to use my plan B. Now the Phantom Ruby is just an ordinary stone with no power!" The evil scientist shouted, and then continued.

"If I knew something like that would happen, I would never have hired your **stupid squad** or given the Ruby to someone a **weak** as you."

Those words echoed in Infinite's mind as he was being stabbed by sharp daggers, a sudden guilt flooded him by what he heard, but that feeling turned itself into a burst of anger, and the jackal sunk in it.

"You bastard... **YOU FUCKING BASTARD, I AM NOT WEAK**!!!" He let the wraith consume him as he dashed towards Eggman to attack him, but his running was stopped when a sudden pain reached his guts, and then the canine realized Metal Sonic intervened, and punched him.

The jackal was launched across the room, he curled himself into a ball and put his hands on the place he was hit as he coughed badly and groaned.

"Hmph. You still think you can beat _me_ without your powers? Don't make me laugh." The Doctor said, while looking at him with despise.

"I already got what I needed here. Metal, get rid of this fool, and take him somewhere very far away in case he wants to go back, he's useless to me now." He added, the cobalt robot beeped and nodded as he picked the jackal and took him outside, going really far as his creator told him so.

The metallic hedgehog flew through many places, until he got to the debris of Sunset Heights. He landed on a place which was very open, and threw Infinite there, then hovered again, returning to his previous location.

The masked "villain" was left on the ground, heavily injured and agonizing in pain from the impact of that pitch. That guilt that grew on him at the base came back once again, he didn't want to admit, but in the end, it was all his fault.

If he wasn't so **weak** and hadn't ruined everything in his past, he could still be living a life of the Ultimate Mercenary, and a formidable leader of his pack.

If he didn't accepted to work for Eggman, maybe his squad, his siblings, would still be alive and wouldn't have been struck down by Shadow, consequently not becoming this **weak** thing that was lying on the ground right now.

He could've kept the promise he made to someone long ago, if it wasn't for his **weak** self.

**_Weak..._ **

**_You're weak..._ **

**_You're so weak..._ **

These thoughts were the only thing echoing in the jackal's mind at the moment, and that awful guilt slowly consumed him as he let tears stream from behind his mask, sprawled on the cold ground of that destroyed city. 

He didn't feel worthy of living in this world, knowing that he hurt so much people, _killed_ so much people, he simply didn't have any right of doing so, all because he had a selfish desire for power and revenge.

That was it, that was the last straw, the ebony canine couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't live with the fact that he let everyone down, including himself. He stood up, almost falling at the attempt, then gripped at the gem resting in his chest. The Phantom Ruby was now in a faint grey color, since its power vanished. 

Infinite tightened the grasp around it and started pulling the ruby, trying with all the strength he still had to take it off his chest, grunting in agony. It wasn't sure if it would be removed, but he didn't care, all he wanted was to take that damn stone that was sticked on him so he wouldn't have to endure that pain anymore.

The jackal kept pulling the red jewel with everything he got, now screaming by the pain he was feeling, and at some point, it did come out of his chest, but taking some of his skin and chest fur along. Now there was a very bad looking wound on his chest, with blood spreading, and very fast.

With the last bit of energy he still had, the canid throwed the grey rock that was resting in his hands at a nearby wall, shattering completely, all the shards falling into the ground.

And then, he was free of the suffering, he could finally put an end to his life, so no one would have to suffer much more, and rest in Chaos knows where he might go from here.

He suddenly grasped his hand on his chest, remembering he had a terrible wound, coughing heavily and nearly tumbling on the ground. He slowly walked into an alleyway, while his bleeding wound was dripping and leaving a trail where he passed.

The canine had finally reached the dead end of that backstreet, so he lied himself up at a wall, still coughing and grunting behind his disguisement. He just noticed now, but the mask had broken when he was thrown by Metal Sonic, part of his muzzle was exposed because of it, and a soft breeze hit his face.

For the first time, the jackal felt at ease, even though he was still groaning in torment because of the nonstop ache, finally, he could be at peace.

He could swear someone shouted his name, but he was too dazed to even mind where that was coming from.

_"I guess this is it...it's the end...what a pitiable ending for someone like me..."_

That was the only thing going through his head at the time. Infinite was now at the edge of his life, and he was willingly giving it up.

And like that, his life reached to an end...

...Or so he thought.

The jackal felt something, or rather someone approaching him, and then he opened his eyes as he flinched with the sight of who was getting closer to him. 

Out of all people that could've appeared, it _had_ to be Gadget, that red wolf who defeated him at the battlefield, and also the person with whom the ebony canid had things to settle, some really personal things, to say the least.

But he didn't want to remember that now, he wanted to free himself from his suffering, and the wolf was meddling with his attempt of doing so.

"You... **YOU!** GET AWAY FROM ME!" He yelled before gripping on his chest, and grunting by the horrible pain.

"What?! I came here to help you! Calm down!" The wolf answered, it was evident on his face that he was desperate and couldn't keep calm in this situation.

"I WON'T– LET ME DIE HERE! I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY, YOU STUPID WOLF!" Infinite retorted, followed by more coughing.

"Don't be so dramatic now! Let me stop your wound from bleeding!" Gadget replied, from what it could be seen, he was really willing to help, but the jackal had other plans.

"I already...ugh...told you! I don't need...argh...your–" He couldn't even finish his sentence as his vision went numb and he blacked out, possibly from all the blood he lost.

* * *

_"Do you promise that you're going to come back? I'm gonna miss you a lot..."_

_"Don't worry, I will. Promise."_

* * *

The jackal slowly woke up from his short moment of reliving memories, and started to analyze his surroundings as he was processing where he was now.

He got up very quickly when he remembered what happened, but regretted the action since his chest was yet hurting, as he grasped it. And then he noticed, the area of the wound was all patched up, and his arm had a gauze wrapped around it, only meaning that his blood was replenished.

The wolf saved him and even treated his wound, yet Infinite couldn't understand why, wasn't he the one who started the war and destroyed everything? Why was he having mercy of him?

The canine was drifting on his thoughts, but he was interrupted as a voice came from his side.

"So you're awake, huh? That's a relief!" Gadget came from the kitchen into the living room, and by the smell that was coming from there, he was certainly cooking something.

The masked canid was filled with annoyance and a slight anger as he snapped. "You again?!"

The wolf felt hurt with the way he said that, and then spoke. "Hey! This is not how you should treat someone who saved you..."

"I didn't ask for you help and much less wanted to be saved, you foolish wolf." He countered as he lied down on the couch again, still very annoyed.

A confused expression formed in the red hound's face as he approached the couch where the other was lying, then sitting on the chair next to it. "What do you mean you _didn't_? You were clearly struggling in that alley, weren't you?"

"That's what a simple person like you would think, of course. But in fact, I was just bleeding to death and not expecting rescue, unfortunately someone intervened." The jackal responded, looking away even though he was with a mask on.

"Wait, you...you were about to kill yourself?! Why?" Gadget exclaimed.

"It's because I don't have any right to live in this world, but you wouldn't understand anyway." Infinite answered, but then continued.

"What I want to know is _why_ you saved me. What do you want with me? Turn me in to your stupid friends? Brush off your victory on my face?" He said as he turned to face the other canine again.

Now that the voice modifier on his mask probably wasn't working anymore and part of his face was showing, the hound could feel more comfortable around him, like he was talking to a normal mobian.

"You know that if I wanted any of that, you wouldn't be here lying on the old couch of my old screwed apartment, right?" He playfully stated, receiving a growl from the jackal.

"Anyway, first of all, I saved you because I needed to. It goes against my duty as a hero to let someone die and do nothing to help them, it doesn't matter if they are good or not. Well, that's what I think, at least." The wolf said as the masked one gazed into nothing, probably thinking about what he was saying, and how tiresome this heroic speech is.

"And second, I don't think you're entirely bad." He added. Although Infinite was still with the mask on, he clearly had a confused expression as he stared at the wolf.

"What?" The jackal questioned.

"At all the times you knocked me down in battle, you clearly were hesitant to finish me, at least in the first time we met, and you kept me alive until now. I don't know if something was really stopping you or you were just messing with me, but even if you did a lot of bad things, I'm almost sure you're not such a stone cold hearted villain as you look." Gadget said before slightly chuckling and smiling.

After hearing what the wolf had to say, the ebony canine did nothing but close his eyes and let a sigh. The way he was innocent, carefree, and sometimes really observant was really part of him since the other can remember, he hasn't changed a bit.

"You could repair in such little details like that, and yet be so naive and compassionate? I guess some things never change, right, **Gadgey**?" Infinite said in a quite friendly tone, or much less rude than the usual, maybe he had finally realized that acting like a jerk wouldn't take him anywhere.

That name resonated in the red hound's mind, and immediately clicked as he remembered something.

"W-wha...? What do you mean about never changing? And...where did you hear that nickname?" The wolf spoke, now trying to connect the dots.

"Nobody calls me that, no one aside from...wait–" He suddenly came to a conclusion, but one he didn't know he wanted to jump in, while staring at the masked canid with a startled expression.

"It looks like that's the only thing you didn't noticed, huh?" The jackal said, and right after, he starts to put his hands on his mask to take it off.

The world around Gadget started to slow down and come to a halt when the face behind that disguise was revealed, not believing who was in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a lot of angst here, wasn't it? Even I was impressed by it when I wrote xD
> 
> I hoped you liked this chapter and the story so far.
> 
> By the way, while you wait for chapter 3, I will be posting the fisrt part of the prologue I mentioned, so stay tuned!


	3. Call Out from The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back, and I brought another chapter!
> 
> I'm sorry for not posting lately, I was busy with online school tests, so I didn't have the time to focus on it.
> 
> But now the wait is over, I hope you enjoy it!

Gadget simply couldn't believe what was in front of him, he seemed like he was looking at some sort of ghost, and that was almost the case to him.

He wondered if all of this was just a big coincidence, but he could recognize those heterochromatic eyes from anywhere.

The person that was behind the astonishing mask was no other than Orion, the red wolf's childhood friend, his best friend was alive and there.

The ebony canine looked just like the other remembered, but of course, he changed a lot with the passing of the years.

Gadget then began to talk, or at least tried.

"N-no way...it can't be..."

The wave of guilt that hit the jackal some time ago took over him once again after the crimson hound's stuttering. He couldn't bear to look at his friend, and averted his eyes.

How could Orion even be fine when he almost destroyed Mobius entirely, killed so many people, and even marked the wolf's muzzle with a scar? There was no way of being forgiven for all of this, he wasn't worthy of being alive after taking so much from others.

But all of that guilt was instantly washed away when a sudden pair of arms enveloped him in a tight embrace, fortunately not touching his wound. The black canid then noticed that the crimson mobian rested his head on his shoulder, feeling something wet streaming from it, and he already knew what it was.

"Ori...it's you! It's really you!" Gadget exclaimed, while uselessly trying to hold back his tears.

"You're alive...I knew it...I always knew!" He added, letting go of restraints and getting his feelings out, still grasping his friend as if he could simply slip away from his arms at any moment.

Orion was taken aback by the canine's attitude, but he was very comprehensive, that was a quite delicate situation, so the only thing he did was rub his hand around the hound's back, trying to comfort him.

A few minutes passed by, the jackal let the red canid pour out all his sadness away, being silent through all of it, the wolf needed that more than him.

Gadget then pulled away from the hug and looked at him with such a sad look on his face, his eyes a bit red and still watery.

"But why? What happened?" He questioned, the ebony canine turned his gaze to him, he clearly knew what the wolf meant, there was no doubt about it, he sighed and set out to speak.

"Look...I guess there's too much for you to absorb right now, can we save that for another time?" Orion asked in a soft tone, without his rude behavior, it was a lot easier to have a conversation.

The hound just nodded, while wiping the tears from his face.

"Oh, right, I was waiting for you to wake up, so I could ask you to take off the mask and treat any injuries on your face. Do you mind if I check up on you?" He questioned, a bit uncertain of doing so.

The jackal simply shook his head, and the wolf began the inspection. He put his hands on the other's face as he tilted it, looking for anything, luckily, there was just a small bruise on his cheek.

Gadget picked up his first aid kit to get a ointment, and started to talk.

"Thankfully, there's only a light injury, I'll just pass this on it, put up a band aid and it's over." He said, while looking at him.

"Alright." The ebony mobian responded.

The red hound removed one of his combat gloves and put on a rubber one, so he could better treat the injury and prevent any sort of infection. 

Then, he put a small bit of the ointment in the canid's cheek and started to spread on that area with his hand, which strangely enough looked like he was caressing the other's face.

Orion must have noticed that, as a slight tint of pink showed in his face, while trying to not stare at Gadget, he wasn't used to having somebody touch his face so casually in a long time.

After that, he placed a band aid pad on the place where the bruise was, and so he finished his task.

"Now it's done!" The wolf smiled at him, while sitting at the chair near the couch.

"I know I've said those things moments ago, but thank you." The jackal retributed with a small but genuine smile.

"I still can't understand why you wanted to throw your life away..." The crimson canine frowned while looking at his friend adjusting himself in the couch.

The other mobian let out a deep breath before answering.

"Gadget...I've done terrible things, some of them are clearly unforgivable. And I couldn't even do my role as a stupid pawn of that fat asshole." He squinted his eyes as he remembered what happened at the battlefield and Eggman's base.

"I lost everything, I have nowhere to go and no one to help me out." He looked into the distance while having a very depressed look on his face.

"Ori, you haven't lost everything yet." The wolf retorted.

"Huh?" The jackal said while facing him once again, with a puzzled expression.

"You're not alone, I'm here and I'm willing to help you." Gadget stated in a quite determined tone.

"And why would you do that? And for me, of all people?" Orion asked, still not understanding where the he wants to get at.

"At first, I wanted to help you because I think you deserve a chance to redeem yourself and try to be a new person, even if you were a war criminal. But now, I want to help you as your friend, just like the old times." The wolf said, and then continued.

"You must have had your reasons to be lured by Eggman and his wicked plan, and I trust you. That's why I want to forgive you and give you a second chance, to be a new person, start your life from scratch. So please, let me help you." The crimson canine gave the most genuine and kind smile at the the other after saying that.

The ebony canid couldn't help but sigh at what he heard.

"I would solely refuse your help, but I guess you will insist on it even if I do, you're too optimistic as always, aren't you?" He playfully questioned, as a light, but sincere smile crept on his face.

The hound let out a slight laugh, before responding.

"Yep, that's me." He stated, still with a very happy expression.

"By the way, weren't you cooking something?" The jackal interrogated, feeling a bit hungry by the smell that came from the kitchen.

"Oh, right!" Gadget got up from his chair and darted to the room, then a few seconds later, he came back with a bowl of and a spoon.

"The only thing that I could find on the pantry that hasn't expired yet was a can of beef soup, so I hope you don't mind." The wolf said, giving the soup bowl to the ebony canine.

"It's okay." Orion answered as he picked the dish. He grabbed a spoonful of the food and ate it, surprisingly, it was very good for canned soup, he hummed in satisfaction.

"Is it good?" The red hound asked with that dorky grin of his.

That certainly hit the jackal, since he stared into distance as his face glowed red as a tomato, before turning to look back at his friend.

"Y-yeah, thanks." He responded, a bit embarrassed.

"You're welcome, I'm happy to hear that." Gadget said, before the other mobian continued to eat his meal.

The wolf took the time to scan his newly reunited best friend, and now he was the one blushing, and almost furiously, to say the least.

He started to notice how much the jackal had changed since the last time they met. His white mane is much longer than the hound remembered, the markings on his back grew wider and were already reaching the sides of his torso, and from what he recall by previous conflicts, the ebony canid was still a few inches taller than him.

Then finally, his face, that part didn't change that much, apart from the scar that crossed his left eye, and speaking of it...

Ah, yes. Orion's eyes always were a wonder to Gadget. The bright blue color on the left, that resembled a wide clean sky, and the amber color on the right, that resembled the shining sun. Those irises just looked dazzling when reflecting the natural light of the sunsets they used to gaze upon, or rather, the jackal that was so–

_Stop it, Gadget! Pull yourself together!_

The wolf thought to himself as he shooked his head from those teasing feelings. Right after he got out from his own little world, the jackal had finished his soup.

"That was delicious, thanks again." The ebony canine said, before handing the empty bowl to the red hound.

"S-sure, no problem!" He embarrassedly, but happily stated, as he went to the kitchen and put the bowl in the sink, coming back to the living room right after.

"So, I suppose you don't have any place to go, right?" He interrogated, looking at his friend with a quite curious expression on his face.

"Yes, there's no place for me out there..." The black canid spoke, as he frowned.

"Well, since I'll help you out, you can stay with me." The crimson wolf said as the other mobian turned back to face him with a puzzled expression.

"Huh?" He asked.

"I mean, not in this destroyed apartment, of course." Gadget spoke as he chuckled a bit, and then continued.

"I'm going back to Vesper Town, since this place is not an option anymore. My parents let me use the other house they had to celebrate holidays with our relatives, it's a bit far from the downtown, but it's big enough for the two of us." The crimson wolf said, before quickly adding.

"I-I mean, if you want, that is!" He spoke, as his face burned and a tint of pink spread.

Orion took some time to think about his friend's request, almost a minute, to be more specific, he was still reluctant about all of this, but he guessed it would be worth trying, at least to make him happy.

"It's fine by me, any place will do." The ebony jackal stated, leading the other canine to smile, his tail wagging excitedly.

"Then it's settled!" He exclaimed.

"But there are some things that need to be done before we arrive there, and one of those things is a bath, you really need it." The crimson mobian said, pointing to the bandages around the other canid.

"Oh, right, my wound..." He said as that light, but stinging pain rose from his chest once again, after realizing it was still there.

"I'll prepare everything and hope the shower here still works, then I'll help you get up from bed, so stay still, okay?" The red hound said, with such a kind look on his face.

"Okay." The canine responded, retributing the gentle expression with one of his.

Orion missed that wolf so bad, having such a good time with him was something he always cherished. Maybe now, he could make up for the lost years, and be someone better, not just for Mobius, but mainly for Gadget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was too much gay in this chapter, wasn't it? XD
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading the story so far, and stay tuned for the next one!


	4. Help Is All I Want Right Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!
> 
> A new and fresh chapter is here! Again, sorry for the wait, I had an awful write block for some time, so I couldn't continue the story. But now I'm back on track!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like it!

Gadget entered the bathroom and went right away to the bathtub, so he could see if the shower still worked.

Since the sink on the kitchen and the one on the bathroom were working, he assumed that the plumbing of the building wasn't affected even though the city was reduced to ash.

Fortunately, after opening one of the shower knobs, a clean stream of water came out of the sprinkler, accidentally soaking the wolf, as he was under it. He quickly closed the knob and dried himself with the towel that was on the closet. Well, it was working, at least.

Although having a bath would be tough considering his friend's situation, he couldn't just leave him dirty and bloody like that, that could infect the wound and it would be even worse to properly treat it. The crimson canine then filled the bathtub, while adjusting the temperature looking for some tepid water, so it would be way easier for Orion to deal with the aching.

After preparing everything, he went back to the living room to get the black canid.

"Well, the bathtub is ready, are you able to stand up?" Gadget asked, as he held out a hand just in case the jackal couldn't get up.

"I guess I can, but walking is a different story." The onyx canine stated, as he grabbed the red wolf's hand and started to get lifted by the latter.

And it was just as he said, walking was probably out of question as he almost fell on the ground. Orion was too debilitated after being beat up by a robot then getting a stone ripped off from his chest.

But that wouldn't stop the crimson hound, as he put his friend's arm on his shoulder and grabbed him by his waist and began to slowly lead him to the bathroom. 

Soon after that, they arrived, and after removing the bandages around the jackal's chest, the ruby canid carefully helped him to sit on the bathtub. Some expected winces could be heard from him since the injury got in touch with the warm water.

"I'll start cleaning up the chest first, better put the worst part at the beginning, is it okay?" The red wolf interrogated, while picking the soap bar that was on the bathroom sink.

"Sure, no problem–" The ebony canine gave a light grunt of pain after he responded, that wound was in a horrible state.

Without wasting any more time, Gadget began to make some foam, and proceeded to clean Orion's torso, taking all the care in the world. It was a very hard task, between every wince and grunt because of the stinging ache, a "Sorry!" was placed, and some time later, the wolf finished it, so he cleaned the rest of the mobian's body at ease.

After the bath, the red hound put a new and cleaner bandage around the ebony canid's lesion. He then looked at the clock and realized it was already around 9 at night, today was very exhausting. Instead of bringing him back to the living room, he went into the only bedroom in the apartament, and with his usual caution, he laid his friend on the bed.

But the black canine looked at him with a confused expression, as he sat up on bed.

"Hey, Gadgey, isn't this your bedroom? You're the one that should sleep here." Orion said, feeling kind of guilty to steal his spot like that.

"It's not very nice to let you sleep on the couch while you have a tear on the chest. You need to rest, and for that, you need a comfortable place." Gadget stated, turning on the desk lamp that was standing in the nightstand beside the bed.

"Are you sure about that?" The ebony jackal questioned, while he tried to get up from bed, but not surprisingly failed in doing so, as the aching in his chest rose once again and the crimson mobian quickly approached him and steadied him in bed.

"It's okay, Ori, don't worry about me, I've slept in way worse places than the couch." The wolf happily affirmed, while chuckling a bit.

Orion knew he couldn't get by the red hound's upbeat personality and stubbornness towards helping him, so he just sighed and accepted his fate, mumbling something meaning that he agreed, and the latter surely heard it.

"Alright, I will leave the door open, in case you need any help in the middle of the night. Just call me and I'll be right there, okay?" Gadget said, while getting near the doorframe while looking at his friend with a kind expression.

"Sure, good night." The jackal answered, as he mirrored the smile in the wolf's face.

"Good night." The red canine responded, as he went to the living room and prepared a pillow and a blanket to sleep on the couch. It was kinda clumsy, but he entered in a sound sleep slowly afterwards.

* * *

Gadget desperately shot up from the couch, he gasped for air as his breath once again became unstable, and after some time, he calmed himself down. The crimson hound woke up from another nightmare, and those were getting worse every time he went to sleep, but now it wasn't the time to be scared, he had to pull himself together, or else he wouldn't be able to help his friend.

The wolf got up and went to see the clock that was hanging on the wall, it was around 7 in the morning, which was quite early for him. He then headed to the bedroom to check up on Orion, and fortunately, the ebony canine was still asleep, that is, until he stepped into the room and was startled by the latter shuffling in the bed and apparently waking up.

The jackal slowly began to open his eyes and sat up on the mattress, as he yawned and gave a slight stretch, since he couldn't make much effort because of the wound, he then noticed the red mobian that was standing in front of him.

"Oh, mornin', Gadgey, I see you're up already." The black canid said, in a low tone, as he was still a bit groggy from his slumber.

"Um...yeah, good morning, Ori! I just happened to wake up earlier than usual. I guess I should save time and prepare my things already." Gadget responded, as he went to the window and began gazing the ruined city scenario in front of him.

"Prepare? Are you going somewhere?" Orion asked, with a mix of worry and confusion stamped on his face.

"Remember when I said that I needed to do some things before we could go to Vesper Town? Well, that's one of those things. I'm going to the city nearby to buy some stuff, including some clothes for you so you can have a disguise. I mean, you can't wander off anywhere and not expect people to recognize you." The ruby canid stated, turning his gaze to the onyx one.

"You do have a point..." The black mobian frowned as he phrased that.

"Is something wrong?" The crimson hound interrogated, looking as worried as his friend.

"Nothing. It's just...too much to take in. You found me in that alley and saved me, I revealed my secret identity and all that, it's been a rough day." Although it was a very stressful situation, Orion just laughed, it's helpful to light up the mood sometimes.

"I know, right?" Gadget jokingly remarked, chuckling as well.

"Also, about the time I found you injured, there's something that has been bugging me." He said, staring into space as he pondered about this subject.

"What is it?" The black jackal questioned, knowing that whatever was in his friend's mind, it was probably important, considering his very observant nature.

"While I was grappling through the city yesterday, I suddenly felt the need to land very close to where you were before I found you, in fact, it is almost like I felt that someone was there. It was kinda strange..." The red wolf stated, still trying to understand how could he felt someone's presence like that.

"Isn't this another of your quite absurd intuitions?" The ebony canid sarcastically affirmed, probably thinking this was another of the crimson hound's shenanigans.

"Heh, maybe it is." The canine replied. It was best to shake this off for now.

"Anyway, I need to go now. I will probably be back right in time for lunch, and I'll bring real food instead of canned soup. Just keep resting until then, okay?" He requested, while a big smile spread on his face.

"Okay, I'll be looking foward to it." The onyx mobian answered, smiling as well.

"Oh, one other thing! I will leave my backup communicator in the nightstand. If anything happens, just contact me. Now I'm really going, bye!" The ruby hound added, then parted to his destination.

* * *

After one hour ride in the recently rebuilt subway line, Gadget finally arrived at his landing place: Metropolis.

Even though the city was heavily damaged from Eggman robots and Phantom Ruby illusions, it looked like nothing happened, most of the buildings were already restored or in the process of it. Maybe it's expected from one of the biggest cities around Mobius.

While he observed the greatness of an urban power, the crimson wolf walked through the outskirts of the city, going to the mall in search of buying groceries and clothes for his friend. Once he stepped his feet on the facility, he was amazed by the vast amount of stores and food establishments (and plenty of escalators too), the canine has never been to such a place.

That scenery was quite overwhelming to him, he wouldn't know the best place to buy anything, and also one that wouldn't stab his wallet, since he had just 15,000 rings from which he earned for being a war hero and stuff. The ruby canid was in a really tight situation, as he was nervously standing in the middle of the mall square.

Fortunately, Chaos might have heard his prayers, as a familiar voice shot through the shopping center.

"Heeeeeey, Gadget!" The red hound turned around while a pink hedgehog waved in the distance.

"Amy?! What are you doing here?" He said while approaching and greeting her.

"Well, you know, just doing some shopping." Amy joyfully affirmed, as she looked at Gadget with curiosity in her face.

"What about you? I didn't take you for the kind of guy that would go to a big mall and buy something." She added, adjusting the shopping bags that rested in her hands.

"Oh, um, I was planning to buy some groceries and some clothes, but I'm kind of stuck on where to go." The ruby canine said, looking at her with a quite indecisive expression.

"Ah, I see what the problem is. Too many stores, right? Don't worry though, I can help you with that! But by the way, what kind of clothes are you looking for?" The rosy porcupine questioned, being very willing to assist her Resistance friend.

"You see, it's not for me, it's for...a friend!" The wolf stated as he blushed a bit while thinking about his status with Orion.

The rose-colored mobian already got a gist of what that "friend" could be, considering the delay of the reply, as she asked him with a knowing look.

"A friend, huh? Just a friend~?"

"Y-Yeah! Of course! I just want to buy clothes for _him_ , that's all!" The crimson canid stated, accidentally telling the person's gender out of nervousness, as his face was almost at the color of his fur.

"Oh, so it's a _him_. Can you tell me more about _him_? That would make things more easier for me to find the ideal clothing." Amy clearly was enjoying teasing Gadget a little bit, but at least she was actually helping.

"W-Well...think of someone that's just like Shadow, but if he was at least five times less edgy and arrogant. There's your reference." The red wolf playfully remarked, as the rose girl pondered about that.

"Geez, this is a tough one...but I think I might know the perfect place!" She proudly affirmed, picking the canid by the hand and dragging him to one of the thousand stores in this mall.

They entered a very average shop that had most of the current trends, and because of that, it was full of customers trying many kinds of clothing and all of the fitting rooms were taken. That isn't very surprising for Amy, after all, it's the most popular mall in the city, but for Gadget, it was very unsettling.

The pink hedgehog then went in a section with lots of jackets and started rummaging through them and looking for something, while the ruby canine waited for her fashion sense to do its magic.

She pulled out a very basic black leather jacket, it looked like it was made from a good type of fabric and had a very surprising price of 700 rings.

"How about this one?" Amy happily asked while Gadget looked with awe.

"Wow, this is great! He'll definitely like this...I think." The hound affirmed, while the rosy mobian chuckled at his comment.

"Well, then I guess this'll be a lot easier than I expected." She said, with a very wide grin on her face.

And like that, they wandered through the mall in a very hard quest looking for clothes and purchasing food and other stuff the wolf needed.

Meanwhile...

* * *

Orion was resting in Gadget's bedroom, waiting for him to return. It has been about three hours hours or so since his friend left to go shopping, and an awful anxiety has raised on him as he stared at the ceiling.

He couldn't stop thinking about what could've happened. 

Did the crimson hound leave him in that worn out apartment, just so he could be caught by The Resistance? Did something happen to him while he was on his way to the city? Those questions started to engulf the jackal in agony as he was enveloped by a red light and cubes of the same color surrounded him.

Followed by that, distorted voices echoed through his mind, while he put his hand on his head, trying to ignore it.

_He left you._

_He's not coming back._

_No one will help you.*_

_You're alone, you won't be saved._

_There's no place for you._

_**You're weak.** _

The onyx canine knew that wasn't true, or at least wanted to believe it wasn't, his head was aching, he hated this feeling, he wanted it to cease.

"Stop...please...just stop!" Orion screamed in a useless attempt of escaping this hell. He doesn't even know how much time had passed since he was having these illusions tormenting him, maybe minutes, hours, days. Who knows?

The only thing he wanted right now...was help. 

And as if his scream was heard, he felt a presence coming closer, one that he was familiar with, gradually growing bigger and washing away all of the canid's anguish.

It was like a miracle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it was necessary xD
> 
> Thanks for reading the story so far, I really appreciate it!
> 
> Edit: I FORGOT A PARAGRAPH AND I FEEL SO STUPID FOR NOT REALIZING IT UNTIL NOW, SORRY FOR THAT!


	5. The Way Back Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!  
> I hope you all had a great New Year, last year sure was awful, but let's make 2021 an awesome year!
> 
> Since I'm here, I would like to apologize for the last chapter's typing errors as well as a whole paragraph missing. I've been taking more care now, and I also reviewed and corrected most of my chapters for the main story, as well as the prologue's. 
> 
> This one was also briefly reviewed, so that you guys have a better reading experience :)
> 
> After all that being said, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

The noise of the wagon colliding with the tracks filled the environment, as the red mobian just stared at the window, seeing the city and the fields pass before his eyes. 

After some time shopping with Amy at the mall, he was now at the subway on the way back to his old apartment.

However, when he was taking the transport to return, a very awful feeling was swilling on his chest, and it was about Orion, something that he couldn't really tell what it was, was telling him that the jackal was in trouble. But the only thing he could do at the moment was wait impatiently for him to arrive at the station.

Almost half an hour passed, until he got to his destination, the wolf quickly dropped out of the train as he ran through the ruins of Sunset Heights, even though his bag was quite heavy because of the things he bought. 

To his relief, he made it at the worn out building after a minute or two of running without breaks, but when he stepped into the living room, that anguished feeling dissolved like a magic trick.

He couldn't afford to think about what happened, as he immediately laid his bag on the ground and dashed to his bedroom, only to see his friend, trembling and sweating a lot, as if he woke up from a nightmare.

The onyx canine was still processing what happened when he felt a familiar, relieving presence, then realizing the ruby canid had arrived.

"Gadgey...?" He said as he got up and sat on the bed, still startled by the unpleasant event that occurred.

"Ori! You're sweaty and shaky– W-what happened!?" The red hound exclaimed while he sat down as well, putting a hand on the black lupine's shoulder, mostly to support himself, since he was almost breathless from the marathon he made from the station to his house.

"I'm okay, don't worry. I just...didn't think it could get this bad..." Orion answered, a bit worried about something.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Gadget asked, letting go of the canine's shoulder, since he composed himself from the running.

"Well...it's something I forgot to tell you, or rather, _didn't_ want to tell you." The ebony jackal said, frowning as he did so. 

The crimson mobian looked at him with a puzzled face, so he took that as a cue to keep talking.

"Although the Phantom Ruby is gone, its power hasn't. It probably merged with my body during the war, since it was practically attached to me." The black canid said, and then continued.

"And when Eggman used me as the powersource to his robot in the final battle, the energy used was too much, so when you and that hedgehog defeated him, the power became unstable. Now it only serves to give me terrible hallucinations." He stated, just gazing into the distance to avoid visual contact with the wolf, knowing that this wouldn't end up well.

"Hallucinations...?" The ruby hound interrogated, echoing the last word the other said.

"Actually, it's something similar to migraines, but there's the addition of illusions tormenting me, so it feels just like that." The onyx canine commented sarcastically, even though it wasn't really changing the heavy mood that this conversation took, and when he turned his gaze to Gadget, he knew exactly what face he was doing.

His expression was a mixture of confusion, shock, and mostly: fear.

Out of all the things he was feeling at the moment, his dread was the most visible, and that hurt Orion even more.

Since the war had started, the ebony canid knew that the red mobian feared Infinite, that evil being who brought destruction to the world and hid his face with a mask, who was none other than himself.

The first time he reunited with him behind that disguise was proof, he remembered awfully too well how scared and desperate his friend was at the time, that scene was carved into his mind, no matter how hard he tried to forget.

The jackal couldn't bear to watch that, so he placed a hand on the wolf's out of instinct, and all the stress he was visibly showing, to his relief, was slowly fading away.

The crimson lupine looked at him, but he didn't flinch, neither took the hand off his own, he just stared at him with an uneasy expression on his face, until Orion spoke again.

"Hey, even if I still have this power, that doesn't mean _he's_ back, okay? At least I can guarantee you that." He gave Gadget's hand a light squeeze, receiving another one in return, but a bit stronger.

"Okay..." The wolf said, before taking a deep, but shaky breath. Before he could say or think about anything, he was pulled into a hug by the ebony canid.

"Sorry for bringing that up, I get how all of this affected you, so..." The black jackal couldn't end the phrase, so he just sighed instead, as he brought the hound closer to the embrace.

"It's fine, Ori. I know you didn't mean to." The ruby mobian replied as he hugged him back and rested his head on the other's shoulder, trying not to think too much about the terrifying memories he had.

They stayed like that for almost a minute, before Gadget pulled away.

"I forgot to mention, I bought the clothes and the food, so after we eat something, you can try them on." He said, trying to smile a little to lift the mood.

"Sounds fine to me. I just hope you didn't bring anything that will compromise my image." Orion playfully responded, receiving a snort from the wolf.

"If your image is just like one of an edgy teenager, then yeah, I guess I've done pretty well with my picking." The crimson hound's grin grew even wider while he retorted.

"Oof, someone's sassy today." The onyx canine remarked, causing the red one to stick out his tongue mockingly, as he got up from bed, probably to go to the kitchen to cook their meal. But something got Orion's attention.

He didn't notice until now, but Gadget was wearing something that was very nostalgic to see. Even though it passed so much time, the ruby wolf was still using the necklace that the ebony jackal gave him, and that really dug up some memories.

"You...still have it." The black canine whispered, not realizing he was thinking out loud.

"Hm?" The red hound interrogated.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just surprised you still have your necklace." The onyx canid remarked, and the wolf stared at him, then turned his gaze to the pendant, grasping onto it.

"Of course I do, you gave me this, after all." He said, with a happy expression on his face, remembering the day he received that gift, and then he realized something.

"Wait, where's your bracelet?" The ruby mobian asked, but he immediately got concerned when his friend looked at him with a sad face.

"Well, about that...it's better for you to see yourself. I had it with me, it's in my pouch that was on the sofa." Orion affirmed, as a confused expression appeared in Gadget's face.

"A pouch?" The red hound got out of the bedroom and went to the living room, noticing a small brown bag resting in the couch.

_How come I didn't see that just lying on the couch yesterday?! I slept here!_

He thought, feeling a bit dumb for realizing that just now, as he picked up the pouch and came back to the black jackal, he quickly recognized it at the ruby mobian's hand.

"Yep, this one... You should open it." The charcoal canine said, a bit anxious about what will come next.

The crimson lupine looked at the bag, it felt a bit heavy and some clanking could be heard from its content, what was that, some pile of gold or something?

He opened the pouch, and what he didn't expect was that there was really a pile of gold in there...but in a different way.

Inside was Orion's bracelet, but it was shattered, all the golden pieces scattered around the bag, the pretty ruby that was attached to it was loose, but intact, fortunately. And a sword, or rather what was left of it, only its hilt and a splinter of its blade remaining. 

"Oh." Gadget mumbled, noticing the broken artifact, with a gradually becoming sad face.

"One day I went to a mission, got hit by an explosion, and when I woke up...it was in pieces. It was such an important gift and I let that happen. I'm sorry..." The onyx canid said, as he looked at the wolf with a guilty and depressed expression.

Even though he was sad that the gift that he gave to his friend was broken into pieces, he knew someone that could fix it, so he let out a big smile, with the sadness in that expression still being visible.

"I know a person that can repair it, in fact, that's the same person from whom I got this bracelet, he has a jewelry store in my hometown, so don't worry about it." The red canine spoke, and the jackal's expression relaxed as he kept talking.

"I'm sure you took great care of it before that, I'm not that bold either, I almost lost the necklace once, so we're even." He said, chuckling a bit, his friend ended up laughing as well, and that made him a little flustered, a flush of pink spreading on his face.

Although Orion laughed occasionally, Gadget couldn't deny how much he liked when he did, and that thought alone made his heart melt. But he immediately got out of those thoughts as he remembered that he had a meal to prepare.

"S-so, I'm going to start making lunch, and I was thinking of going home right after it, since we'd get there in the afternoon, is that okay with you?" The red wolf questioned, still a little embarrassed.

"Sure, I rested enough, so walking shouldn't be a problem." The onyx lupine responded, happy that he won't rot on that bed any longer.

"Alright then!" Exclaimed the crimson canine, as he went to the kitchen.

* * *

After a delicious meal which was not composed of canned food, the two mobians were getting ready to leave, the only thing left to be done was Orion's session of trying on clothes, since he was looking for the best way to disguise himself on the trip.

Gadget was patiently waiting outside at the apartment's floor, carelessly whistling, now wearing a green hoodie and standard jeans alongside his usual gloves and boots from his Resistance attire. Little time passed, until he heard a voice inside his old place.

"Sorry for the delay, I wasn't managing to make myself as discreet as possible, but now I'm ready."

"Nah, don't worry abou–" The wolf stopped in the middle of his sentence as he turned to the jackal, he was astonished when he saw how dazzling the other canine was looking with those.

He was wearing a black leather jacket, the same one that Amy showed to Gadget earlier, below it was a red striped shirt, he also wore basic black jeans, his pouch attached on the belt, along with a pair of grey boots and white gloves. He definitely looked like he got into a gang of bikers, but he didn't mind.

And it didn't stop there, the onyx lupine's hair was different, he was using a ponytail, that was tied up by a string, and somehow it made him look like a different person, and prettier almost, at least that was what the red hound's mind was telling him at the moment.

His muzzle that was already tanned became as red as his fur. If Orion was doing this on purpose just to tease Gadget, well damn, it was actually working.

_Oh. My. Chaos. He's hot!_

The charcoal canid must have noticed that the ruby one was kind of paralyzed, as he began to speak.

"Um, Gadgey, are you there? Is something wrong?" He said, as the red wolf came back to reality when he heard his friend's voice.

"Oh! T-there's nothing wrong! I...I'm just impressed with the clothes, y-you're looking good in them..." Gadget said, as he tried to avert his gaze a little bit, so he wouldn't meet that handsome face and panic even more. 

Orion was surprised by the compliment the crimson hound gave him, a light blush spreading on his face.

"Well, it was you who bought them, s-so you should take the credit." He bewilderingly responded, compliments weren't a thing he was used to. He received a chuckle from his friend in return.

"Sure, but why that ponytail, though? Do you think they'll recognize you by your hair?" The lupine asked, puzzled about the very appealing hairstyle.

"Actually, no. I was just trying something different, but I guess it adds more to the disguise." The charcoal jackal replied, while analyzing his look again.

"I-I see..." The red canine said, blushing again, thinking about how much of a mess he is.

_He's just trying something different?! There's no way someone gets so handsome like that!_

"Let's get going now, shall we?" He added, and the onyx lupine just nodded, then they left for the subway station.

Halfway there, Gadget was unsure about a thing, turning his look at Orion, and then prompted himself to speak.

"Hey, Ori, how's your wound now? Are you sure you can walk properly?" He asked, concerned about his friend's condition, as he adjusted the bag on his back.

"Well, it still stings, but it's not that painful anymore, there's no need to worry." The ebony canine answered, and he was being honest, but the wolf just wanted to make sure he was 100% okay.

"I can't help but be worried. Just let me know if it gets painful again, alright?" The ruby hound said, and the black jackal smiled before he replied.

"Alright, I will." The crimson canid smiled in return by the response.

As they kept walking, they finally got to the subway station. After some minutes waiting for it to arrive, they entered in one of the many wagons and sat themselves in a quite empty row of seats, Gadget put his bag in the gap underneath the chairs so he won't carry the weight until they get there, and the train was now moving to their destination: Vesper Town.

Orion stared at the wide landscape from the window in front of him, the big skyscrapers slowly changing to forests and mountains, as well as some farms in the distance, he missed traveling the world and seeing all kinds of people and places, although he hadn't been in that many.

"I still can't believe I'm finally going home, after so much time living in another city." The red lupine said, fiddling with his fingers, he was anxious about meeting his family again, even more so with his friend coming along.

"Are you nervous?" The black canid asked, looking at him.

"Well, I haven't seen Mom, Dad or Gears in a while, so yeah, you could say so." The wolf responded, as he sighed in an attempt to relax.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." The charcoal jackal said, comforting the other.

"Yeah, and now I have a special guest with me." Gadget playfully remarked as he laughed, Orion returned with one of his, as they looked into the distance in a calming silence.

"Hey, Gadgey." The onyx lupine said, as the crimson hound turned to look at him.

"What is it?" He questioned.

"I didn't say earlier, but thank you for helping me." The ebony canine replied, with a kind smile towards him.

"You're welcome." The red wolf said, with a big grin.

* * *

Around forty minutes had passed, and Orion was once again contemplating the view that passed through the glass of the subway, but he got so distracted in his sightseeing that he didn't notice the red figure resting on his shoulder.

Gadget hasn't rested since he woke up, so it's to be expected that he would doze off in the middle of the trip.

The ruby canine looked so freaking adorable sleeping like that, and the jackal couldn't help but blush at the sight, but he smiled regardless. Since he was busy with mercenary business and later on being a villain, he never wandered back too much about his feelings towards the red mobian, but now it was the perfect time. 

He never showed it, but he loved the wolf so much, he wanted to be with him for the rest of his life.

Orion left his gaze off of the sleeping lupine and ended up looking at two male mobians sitting at the other side of the wagon, holding hands, smiling at each other, and talking about anything that came to their minds.

He then looked back at Gadget, and his smile grew even wider when he thought about a life with him just like that couple, until he slowly drifted asleep as well, not before a thought resonated in his head.

_Even after all those years, you never left my mind..._

_...And I'm glad you didn't._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to go all out with the fluffiness in this chapter, and I don't regret anything xD.
> 
> Thank you all for reading the story so far, don't forget to show your feedback!


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